Will pot legalization initiative make fall ballot?

With a nod to its base, the campaign to legalize marijuana for adults in Washington has made an appointment to turn in initiative signatures to the secretary of state’s office at 4:20 p.m. Friday.

The late-in the day timing (Friday is the last day for campaigns to turn in signatures) will help Initiative 1068 gather John Hancocks until the last minute. The campaign has struggled to gather the required 241,000 signatures of registered voters for a spot on the November ballot. The time – 4:20 p.m. – is also well known to marijuana enthusiasts as the time of the day when people across the world light up.

State officials say the I-1068 campaign has told them they’ve got about 200,000 signatures so far – and have been getting many petitions back every day. The state Elections Division urges campaigns to submit at least 300,000 signatures, allowing for a pad to cover duplicate or invalid signatures.